The ankle joint is one of the most commonly injured joint in the human body, and it may be injured in any one of a number of different ways. In many cases after an ankle injury the ankle joint can become arthritic, deformed or endure other systematic diseases and related issues.
Currently the typical prior art surgical procedures performed to treat ankle arthritis are ankle fusions and ankle replacement (“arthroplasty”). Arthroplasty has not yet achieved the success rates or acceptance like knee and hip replacement, which make ankle fusion the current procedure of choice for many patients.
The typical prior art procedures used to fixate an ankle joint (i.e. to perform an ankle fusion) do not always result in an optimal fused joint. One such prior art method is placing a plate tangentially on the outside of the tibia and the talus and driving multiple screws into both the tibia and the talus, thereby securing the plate to both bones and thereby fixating the ankle. Placing the plate on the front of the ankle joint (the tibia and the talus) normally secures the plate in a position relative to the fracture that the plate but not necessarily the fracture is in a state of compression. In many cases wherein the plate is in compression, the plate does not optimally secure the fracture as the forces on the bone and plate combination may tend to place undesirable directional forces in the bone around the fracture.
A second prior art method is one wherein multiple metal screws and/or nails which are screwed or driven into both bones, thereby penetrating and securing both the tibia and the talus. This approach leads to a range of variable results, some of which are undesirable from multiple perspectives. In many cases the nails utilized go through the bottom of the heel and are completely within the bone. This may result in the ankle joint and the subtalar joints being fused as well as requiring an incision on the heel, the side and on the front of the ankle thereby creating a very stirr limb.
It is an object of embodiments of this invention to provide a bone fusion system and method that may be intramedullary and provide the stabilization during bone healing without adversely affecting other surrounding joints.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a stronger plate and support system which may be inserted with minimal soft tissue and bone damage as part of the insertion process.
It is an object of embodiments of this invention to provide a transcortical bone fusion system which can be adapted not only to ankles, but to other joints desired to be fused, which provides an improved fusion generally internal to the tibia and talus in the ankle fusion application.
An advantage of embodiments of cutting small bone cuts in the tibia and talus and then inserting a small plate longitudinally oriented, which tends to maximize the strength of the plate in the application and is very low profile when compared to other prior art methods (especially those using plates mounted tangentially to the outer surface of the bones).
Other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will appear from the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. In carrying out the objects of this invention, it is to be understood that its essential features are susceptible to change in design and structural arrangement, with only one practical and preferred embodiment being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as required.